How have feminist critics interpreted the women in Heart of Darkness?

Feminist critics argue that Joseph Conrad flattens the female characters in Heart of Darkness, rendering them as one-dimensional symbols rather than multidimensional individuals.12

According to these critiques, the women in the novella are effectively emptied of particularity and meaning, serving only as vessels for the significance Conrad chooses to project onto them. For example:1

• The African queen: She is interpreted as an embodiment of "darkened nature" and an eroticized symbol of atavistic allure.1
• Kurtz’s "Intended": She is viewed as a symbol of the sheltered, illusory reality of European society that the protagonist, Marlow, seeks to protect from the "darkness" of human nature.1

Feminist scholars note that these women are not interiorized and remain unnamed throughout the text. This rhetorical strategy is interpreted as a deliberate choice by Conrad to privilege his own masculine voice over any potential feminine perspective. Ultimately, these critics contend that the novella’s treatment of women mirrors its dehumanizing portrayal of African people, both of which are used as mere backdrops to explore the white male psyche.132